Homeless man stabs five, including toddler, in New York park

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A homeless man armed with scissors attacked and wounded five people, including a one-year-old boy, in a New York City park busy with morning joggers and commuters, police said on Tuesday.

The victims, all of whom are expected to recover, were targeted at random, police said. A 36-year-old woman who was stabbed in the back is a "little more touch and go" than the others and was listed in critical condition, a New York Police Department spokesman said.

The attacks occurred around 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) in Manhattan's Riverside Park, which stretches for 4 miles along the Hudson River.

A 32-year-old woman was slashed in the neck, a 35-year-old man was stabbed in the stomach and a 35-year-old father pushing his 18-month-old son in a stroller was slashed in the chest. The child also had a slash wound to his left arm, authorities said.

A witness helped subdue the suspect until police arrived. The victims, whose names have not been released, were being treated at a local hospital.

The suspect, Julius Graham, 43, was taken into custody and sent to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Graham had an expired Texas identification card and had been living in a New York City men's shelters, the NYPD spokesman said.